Show fl Current Magazines 4 Abolish All Luncheon Clubs Says Bruce Bliven Luncheon clubs such as the Rotary Rotary Ro Ro- Ro- Ro tary Kiwanis the Lions and all their cubs should be abolished Bruce Druce Bliven argues in the December December Decem Decem- ber her Issue of The Forum That they are not all bad and that they have ave elements clements of value Mr 11 Bliven admits But he contends a athey ag as they now e exist they do not justify the tile time energy and money which whichard are arc ard spent on them My Iy first indictment his Forum article reads is is that many of the things done at at their meetings are simply downright silly sUly Numerous commentators have pointed out In recent lecent years that American life Ilfe is cursed with infantilism the refusal of adults to accept a grownup point of view The luncheon clubs with their kIndergarten kindergarten kindergarten kinder kInder- garten singing their paper dunce caps their Insistence on the use of first names their fines for this and that their practical jokes are certainly certainly one of the most infantile features features features fea fea- tures of the current scene And It ItIs itIs itis Is no defense to say that if this is the tho level on which the members want to themselves then this tills level is good goad enough On the contrary the tho whole history of civilization from the tile Magnon Cro-Magnon to the French academy has been brought about by operations under the alternative theory Neither is 19 it adequate rebuttal to reply that business men keyed ke up and tenso tense from their labors get wholesome relaxation out of horse horse- play Having long been a business businessman J man and having haYing associated with many others of the breed inside luncheon clubs and out of them I Ican Ican can ean testify that this famous tenseness tenseness tenseness tense tense- ness Is largely mythical The life Ufe of the tile average business man especIally especially espe espe- daily in the tho smaller cities where the tho luncheon clubs have hae their I greatest hold hol is reasonably easy easygoing easygoing easygoing going and often unreasonably so Mr Ir Blivens Bliven's other Indictments are that these clubs constitute an Invasion invasion Inva lava sion sian on the personal liberty of their members that membership is al almost almost al- al most compulsory if one Is to continue continue con con- in business or professional life that they make their members take themselves too seriously and that the clubs often stand in the of way of the tile municipal progress their cities No statement would move them to more indignant and vehement de denials denials denials de- de nials than that Mr Bliven writes yet it is true Willie While they fuss about with little projects for a better better better bet bet- ter lighted Main street or getting their town made a stopping point Joint for the Overland Limited they leave untouched other things o of far decent housing greater Importance decent for the thc poor for instance or a city plan not riot operated for the tile exclusive benefit benent of the land grabbers or hos- hos for the middle class or adult education or 01 electoral re reform reform reform re- re civil form or the preservation of liberties liberties to to name at random rando n just justa a a few of ot the scores of things most of the clubs are too timid or too foo Ignorant to touch Few important civic civics reforms or developments can canover canover over o do that particularly that particularly as I have suggested If the tho toes belong to some of the the- local demigods who are are probably probably probably ably members A defense of Rotary by an ar ex- ex director Mr 11 Raymond J. J Knoeppel Is contained in the same issue of The Forum I |